


An Afternoon in Town

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Series: Modern Commander Lexa [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, Commander Lexa, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, First Meeting, Modern AU, Reese is the cutest puppy, Undercover Lexa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:36:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: Lexa has had enough. All she wants is relax, have a slice of pie, drink a hot chocolate, and buy a new book. And if she has to leave the Castle for an afternoon without warning anyone who could stop her, she will. Only her plans are slightly changed when she finds a puppy with a broken leash. Modern AU, Clexa.





	1. Reese

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net

**Chapter 1**  
Reese

  
  
Who would have thought that Lexa's military training would have been most useful when it came to running away from the Castle? As she quietly climbed up the tree and hid for a few seconds in the foliage, she could feel her heart beating slightly faster. Finally, she was able to have some time for herself, away from her duty. She never thought she would have needed it, but it was becoming tiring. She not only had too many things to do to actually have some time to sleep but when she had time to, she couldn't because her mind was clouded constantly by military deployment, economic reforms, and diplomatic treaties. She had had enough of it all. This afternoon she was going to take a break, and do something relaxing, something for herself. Probably eat a slice of pie somewhere, drink a hot chocolate even if winter's cold hadn't hit them yet, and go to the bookstore to buy a book. And maybe read a bit of that book, before she either was caught or forcefully had to return to her duties.  
Seeing no one around the garden, she crawled along a large branch until she was on the other side of the large wall. The fall there would be high, but nothing she couldn't take. She sat on the branch, and as it banded under her weight she slid off. She managed a roll upon landing, but the branch swayed suddenly. She heard it rattling behind her, and immediately ran to the nearest shop. A group of soldiers quickly arrived where she had been standing a few seconds ago, checking longly the wall and the tree on either side, before deciding that a squirrel or a large bird had probably jumped off of it. Lexa watched them go with a relieved sigh. She noticed she'd interred an accessory shop, but the shopkeeper hadn't spotted her yet. She relaxed and began to look around. She would need a good disguise or at least one that was mildly passable. While she had already changed clothes to look less menacing and more civilian, her long brown hair was still flowing behind her. At least she had taken her makeup off.  
She searched quickly around the shop until she found a fake pair of black rimmed glasses and a set of colorful bands. She brought her two articles to the cashier and tried as much as possible to avert the woman's gaze. She looked at the necklaces and found one representing a large blooming tree, attached to a black leather lace.  
"Do you need anything else?" the woman asked, obviously noting how Lexa looked longly at the necklace.  
Lexa quickly debated whether she should buy it or not until she decided that it would make for a good souvenir.  
"Yes. I'll take that necklace."  
The shopkeeper untied it from the rack and placed it in a small paper envelop before she placed it with the rest of her articles in a paper bag bearing the shop's logo.  
"And that'll be $31,86."  
Lexa took her wallet out of her jacket pocket and handed the woman two bills. Once she received her change and the woman had given her the paper bag and wished her a good day, Lexa quickly exited the shop. She walked down the street until she found a bench. There, she tore the tag off the glasses and slid them on, then took out the green band from the small package, and expertly braided her hair, finishing with the green band to keep it all together. Finally, she put the necklace around her neck, barely struggling with the clasp. She hesitated for a minute, before placing the other bands in the pocket inside her jacket, and throwing the bag in the trash.  
Lexa took a deep breath, and walked randomly in the next street. While she had technically lived her entire life in this city, between her military training and her recent change of status as Commander, she never really had the time, or the authorization, to visit it. She found that she quite liked what she saw.  
In the old part of the city, where the Castle was, most of the houses where only one, two stories high at most. They were all large, with dark blue tiled roofs. Most of what used to be houses had been turned into shops and restaurants, and besides the few that had been renovated they had cracks here and there in their facade. Lexa, however, wanted to go to the newer part of town, the one with tall glassy buildings pointing to the horizon, so tall they seemed to pierce through the clouds. This was what she saw every day from the Castle's window, and what she wanted the most to see.  
Not sure which way to take to get to them, she entered an empty street, where restaurants were getting ready for the night service. Just as she passed what looked like a pizzeria, she heard light yapping coming from behind her. She frowned and turned around, only to see a puppy running toward her, dragging a leash behind it. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she caught the puppy as it came running past her.  
"Hey there, where do you think you're going?"  
The puppy continued to yap and tried to escape her grasp, but she was holding it as strongly as she could without hurting it. The pup was only a few months old, and probably part of the Shepard dog family, with its high pointy ears and long feathery tail. Its fur was a rich brown color, chocolate like. It had a red collar with a small golden tag, and a leash was still attached to it. What was left of it, anyway. Lexa quickly noticed at the leash had been broken, probably from the puppy pulling too hard on it.  
"Why would you run away from your owner?" she inquired as she blocked the puppy under her arm, and petted his head with her other hand.  
It seemed to calm down a bit, as it stopped struggling to get out of her grasp. Lexa took the opportunity to look at its tag. One side indicated its name, Reese, and its other side had been engraved with a phone number. Lexa smiled but hesitated to use her phone. It would make it easier for her to find Reese's master, but it could also be a dead give away of her position. She had turned it off but still taken it with her just in case of grave emergency, and finding the master of this puppy really wasn't one.  
"Alright, let's try to find your master."  
The puppy yapped and lolled its tongue out as Lexa lowered it to the ground. While the leash was a bit short, she still used it to refrain the puppy from running away without it being too awkward. The puppy pulled on the leash, but she must have been stronger than its master, as the puppy got quickly fed up with being held back. He walked closer to Lexa, which the young woman approved with a smirk.  
While she wasn't really good at tracking people down, not in the middle of a city anyway, she pretty much picked which street to follow on pure logic. She almost wished the puppy could have been a good hunter, so it could lead her back to its master, but this whole thing wouldn't have happened if it was a good tracking dog to begin with.  
She decided to turn left at the end of the street. She had come from the right, and she knew she would have remembered if she had seen a master struggling with its puppy. She walked slowly through the shops, looking around for anyone who would look panicked because of their hyper-energetic puppy.  
At the end of the street, just as she was at a lost for luck, she saw a few feet away a bench on which the other side of the leash was still attached. It was undeniably his, and the fact that Reese even began to play with it told Lexa that he recognized it. Lexa looked at the female clothing shop behind the bench. She picked Reese up and tugged it under her arm like before. She then entered the shop.  
Inside, three women were behind the counter, taking care of a queue of women Lexa found actually quite long. As she approached them the one closer to her declared:  
"I'm sorry ma'am but dogs are not allowed in the shop."  
"Yeah, I could have guessed that. I'm actually looking for its master. I believe it tore its leash when it was attached to the bench in front of your shop. The other side is still on the bench. Maybe you've noticed one of your customer leaving in a hurry."  
The woman shook her head as she folded a shirt before sliding it in a bag.  
"I'm sorry but I haven't seen anyone like that."  
Just as Lexa was about to leave, the second clerk looked up at her.  
"Hey, I recognize that dog."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I had to tell its master to leave him outside."  
"What did she look like?"  
"Hum... blond, I think she had a black leather jacket. I'm sorry I didn't pay much attention to her. I just remember she had this dog."  
"It's okay, it's already something. Thank you."  
"I hope you find her. Goodbye."  
Lexa exited the shop and let Reese down once again. The puppy seemed always happier to be walking, rather than carried around, but at least it had stopped struggling.  
"Alright, let's keep going."

* * *

  
  
Lexa navigated a few more streets, her eyes scanning the crowd for a blond with a leather jacket and looking panicked, but she didn't see anyone fitting that description. Finally, she arrived on a large square with two large fountains on either side, and multiple stone blocks placed symmetrically in the center, mostly used as benches by the people coming and going here. On the other side, separated by a line of large trees, Lexa finally saw the base of the glass buildings she'd wanted to see for such a long time. She found a block to seat on and brought Reese beside her. He laid on his belly as she began to pet him.  
"Can you believe it? I was supposed to have an afternoon just to me, and here I am, looking for your master."  
The puppy whined as if it understood that it was partially its fault that Lexa couldn't do what she wanted for this afternoon.  
"At least my disguise works, don't you think?"  
The puppy looked up, and suddenly one of its ears began to move around as if it had heard something. It stood up, lolling its tongue out almost happily. Lexa followed its gaze until she saw what Reese was focusing on. A blond woman was standing by the fountain, scanning the crowd. She indeed wore a black leather jacket, but from this distance, she would have to be a hawk to see if the girl really was panicked or not. Reese, however, jumped from the bench and ran in her direction, it's half-leash flapping once again behind him. Lexa sighed and followed it quickly, just in case the puppy wasn't aiming for its master, but rather running in the opposite direction.

* * *

  
  
Reese reached his master first. The blond was more than relieved as she picked her puppy up.  
"Oh thank god! Where have you been?!"  
The puppy yapped and tried to lick her face, but the blond resisted his assault.  
"Hey, it's not okay. Why did you run away?" she asked as if expecting an answer.  
She looked up, only to see Lexa standing in front of her. Her skin was tan from all the time she spent training outside every day. Her piercing green eyes were easy to notice, even behind her black-rimmed glasses. Her long brown hair was still tied in a braid, and resting along her spine. She wore a khaki military jacket and a plain tee-shirt, with blue jeans and combat boots.  
"Hello. I found Reese running down the street. We've been looking for you."  
The blond smiled. She had marked a pause when she had first noticed Lexa as if she were staring at her. Lexa, however, was able to speak and focus on people's physical appearance at the same time. The blond's hair was loose, and her blue eyes were like two sapphires. She indeed wore the black leather jacket the saleswoman had said she wore, with a dark blue tee-shirt on which a lion had been drawn.  
"Thank you, really."  
Lexa nodded, and seeing as Reese was still trying to escape the blond's grasp, she wondered:  
"Have you tried obedience lessons?"  
"Hum... yeah... But he's not there yet."  
Lexa smiled genuinely.  
"I can see that."  
"Anyway, thank you, I hope he wasn't too much trouble. Can I buy you something, coffee maybe, hum..."  
"Lexa. Sure, I wanted to get a slice of pie somewhere."  
The blond smiled.  
"Not from here, are you?"  
"Not exactly."  
"Then follow me, I'm going to show you the best pastry shop in the entire city. I'm Clarke by the way."  
"Clarke. Alright, I'm right beside you."  
The blond seemed to shiver as Lexa pronounced her name. She smiled and took a tight hold of Reese's leash, or what was left of it, before she placed the puppy back down. Instantly it forcefully tried to run, and Clarke had a hard time keeping the leash in her hand, or not being dragged away by her puppy.  
"You sure you don't want any help?"  
"No, no, I'm okay! Let's go!"  
Lexa smiled before she followed Clarke toward the old side of town. She glanced once more at the large buildings but decided to ignore them altogether.  
As the two women walked side by side, Lexa had to hold her smile every time Reese's pulled on Clarke's arm or deviated from his path. Obviously, the blond was not used to having an energized dog, who would probably grow three times his size by the time he reached adulthood.  
"Is he a German Shepard?" she asked.  
"Hum, not quite. He's an Australian Kelpie. It's like a Shepard, except that he's Australian..."  
"You are not used to big dogs, are you?"  
"More like dogs in general! I never had a pet growing up. Since I was spending so much time at home recently my friends thought I needed a dog, so I could, you know, walk him at least twice a day. What I hadn't expected when I agreed to that was that they had found the biggest dog they could find. And the more energized, for that matter."  
"Maybe a stronger leash could help."  
"Ah that... It was second-hand, blame it on my friends, once again. And you, do you have any animal?"  
"Not really. We see a lot of dogs coming and going, but I never had a real pet, per say."  
"You're talking about military dogs, right? You have military training?"  
"How did you guess?" Lexa asked a bit surprised.  
Clarke shrugged.  
"Lucky guess. The combat boots maybe?"  
While Reese was still pulling on his leash, Clarke stopped in front of a small shop, with a few metal tables and chair placed in front of it. The window adorned the shop's logo, and beautifully decorated cakes rested behind.  
"Alright, we're here!"  
It was Clarke's turn to pull on Reese's leash until she could pick up the puppy. She walked in, Lexa behind her. The inside of the shop was cozy. It was mostly empty, as it wasn't snacking hour just yet. More metal tables and chairs had been placed along the wall, as well as on the first floor, up to a narrow set of stairs. More cakes were in showcase, and a big board on the wall above the counter indicated their prizes, as well as the beverages they served. Lexa was happy to see they served hot chocolate.  
"Alright, I'll find a place to attach Reese and then I'll order. Order what you want in the meantime, it's on me."  
"I can't..."  
Lexa's protest was cut short by Clarke's smile.  
"Please, it's the least I can do. You brought me Reese back, which saved me hours of panic."  
Lexa nodded with a small smile, and Clarke walked up the stairs, Reese still trying to escape her grasp.

* * *

  
  
Once Lexa had ordered a slice of apple pie and a hot chocolate, Clarke came back down and asked Lexa if she could go and watch over Reese while she ordered. Lexa nodded and walked the very slender set of stairs. The first floor looked like it had been built from an old warehouse. Old dirty window pierced the exposed brick walls and the ceiling. The metal structure holding the roof was just high enough that Lexa didn't bump her head on her way to the table. Obviously, it had moved a few feet and had gotten stuck with two other tables and a set of chairs. At least it was still standing, Lexa thought. She kneeled in front of Reese and the puppy eagerly tried to lick her hand.  
"Sit."  
Her voice was just commanding enough that the puppy obeyed, without it sounding harsh. She undid the knot Clarke had made around the table's leg and cleaned quickly Reese's mess, placing tables and chairs back into their initial position. She then picked Reese up, who had only moved to watch her move the furniture, and sat in one of the chairs. Reese lay on her lap like a cat, his tongue out. Lexa petted him slowly.  
A few seconds later, Clarke walked up the stairs with a plastic tray in hands. She quickly joined them and sat opposite Lexa.  
"Thank you for taking care of his mess."  
Lexa frowned, not sure what Clarke meant until the blond placed her cup of hot chocolate in front of her and declared with a smile:  
"I have an eye for details, and those tables were not there when I left. Let me guess, he dragged the table with him?"  
"Yeah. It happens often?"  
"More than I can count."  
"I think he may have trouble being separated from you," Lexa suggested as Clarke emptied the tray, placing the slice of pie and a piece of chocolate cake on the table, in front of their respective owner.  
"Oh, I don't know. He seems to like you."  
Reese was still napping on her and had made no attempt to move to Clarke since the blond had arrived.  
"I don't know why."  
"It's your commanding aura, I think."  
Lexa froze with her spoon in hand before she could even take a bite of the pie. Her heart stopped then began to beat way too fast.  
"What do you mean?"  
Clarke gave a look at the stairs, then leaned forward.  
"Frankly, glasses or not, I can recognize the leader of my country."  
Lexa felt her cheek grow hot. Was her disguise really so bad? How come no one had said anything then?  
"How did you know?"  
Clarke tapped playfully her lips with her spoon before she replied:  
"It's the jaw. You have a very defined jawline."  
Lexa's hand ran almost self-consciously along her jaw before she smirked.  
"You sound like you've studied it."  
It was Clarke's time to blush, although it was more apparent on her pale skin.  
"I... hum..."  
She took another bite of cake and replied:  
"Okay, this is going to sound really weird, but when I was in college our teacher always said to train ourself to draw people by using pictures. And I would always take yours because you are very picturesque."  
"I'm picturesque, hum?"  
Clarke pursed her lips. Lexa took a bite of her pie and blew on her hot chocolate to cool it down before she took a sip. It as still mildly burning, but she didn't let the discomfort grace her features.  
"So, what do you do with your eye for details and drawing talent? Are you an artist?"  
Clarke seemed grateful for the change of subject.  
"Actually I am. I just exposed my first few pieces in a gallery in town."  
"Really, well, I'll have to check that out then."  
"Do you really have time for it?"  
Once again Lexa frowned in confusion. Clarke sent another look to the stairs before she replied.  
"One of my friends is a soldier, she works at the castle. We were supposed to meet this afternoon but the Commander disappeared suddenly, and everyone is freaking out..."  
Lexa sheepishly smiled.  
"Yeah, I just needed a moment to myself. I'll go back by the end of the afternoon."  
Clarke finished her cake, and after cleaning her lips with the paper napping she declared:  
"Alright, so, what do you want to do this afternoon?"  
"Why?"  
"Because the faster you're done the faster you can go back to the castle and they'll stop freaking out."  
"Am I dreaming, or are you trying to get rid of me?"  
"What? No! Never! Just..."  
Clarke's face once again grew redder than it should. Lexa chuckled.  
"A slice of pie. A hot chocolate. A book. And now I want to see your paintings."  
"Excuse me?"  
"These are my afternoon plans. I wanted to relax, eat a slice of pie, drink a hot chocolate, buy myself a new book. And I just added to that list going to that gallery to see your paintings."  
"Oh."  
Lexa gulped down her hot chocolate in just a few seconds, ignoring the burning feeling in her throat. She placed the cup back on its saucer.  
"Will you come with me?"  
Clarke was about to answer, but her gaze was locked on Lexa's lips as she licked them, and the chocolate coating the skin she couldn't reach with her tongue. The blond cleared her throat.  
"You have... hum, some chocolate above your lips."  
"Oh." Lexa quickly cleaned it away with her own napkin. "Thanks. Anyway, will you come with me?"  
"Really? Why?"  
"Well, as you may have noticed, I don't know the city as well as you do. If you want to send me back to the castle quickly, you're going to have to guide me."  
Clarke sighed.  
"Sure, why not. But first, let me find a new leash for mister here, one that he isn't going to break."  
"Deal."


	2. Guide Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of Lexa and Clarke's afternoon.

**Chapter 2**  
Guide Me Home

  
  
Once Reese's leash was replaced, Clarke took a few seconds to mentally map their way to the closest bookstore. Meanwhile, Reese began to play with his new leash, biting it and pulling on it.  
"Alright, let's go through here." the blond finally decided.  
Lexa followed as they made their way through the small and old streets. As the sun began its descent in the sky, the buildings' shadows became longer, and soon enough the two women were in relative darkness. The air around them became colder, but neither of them seemed to mind.  
"So, I don't want to overstep any boundary here, but why did you run away?" Clarke asked carefully.  
Lexa walked a bit closer to her, her hands in her pockets.  
"Too much work. Too much stress. I don't even remember the last time I took less than an hour to myself."  
"Yeah, I get you. My last year of college was pretty tiring. Probably not as much as running a country, of course, but still..."  
They fell silent once again as they made their way through the small crowd enjoying a nice autumn afternoon. Lexa looked around, her heart beating slightly louder than usual. Now that Clarke had discovered her secret, she knew more people would found her out. Yet as they passed through a long shopping street, no one seemed remotely interested in her or noticed her for that matter.  
"How come no one else seems to know who I am?" Lexa wondered in a whisper.  
Clarke replied just as quietly:  
"That's because people are not very observant. They care about themselves, their children sometimes. At the very least their pets. But who cares about the people around them?"  
"Apparently, you do."  
"Oh, believe me, if you hadn't been the one to find my dog, I may not have given you a second glance."  
Clarke fell silent, her lips pursed before she confessed.  
"Okay, maybe I would have."  
"It's the jaw, isn't it?"  
"Yeah, the jaw..."  
Clarke was spared more embarrassment when Lexa noticed the store's window of the bookstore. It seemed to be a quaint little shop, with bookcases so close to one another that it was almost impossible to walk through the alleys.  
"Alright, we're here! Maybe I should wait with Reese outside."  
"You're sure? I tend to be pretty long when I need to choose a book."  
"Hum... so you're actually an indecisive kind of person?"  
"Not for everything, but yeah. You would think that is not a good trait for someone running a country, but I've done a passable job so far." Lexa replied with a smirk.  
Clarke smiled.  
"Don't worry. I don't want Reese to make a mess inside."  
"Okay. I'll try to hurry."  
Lexa nodded and entered the shop, leaving Clarke to take a seat on the bench in front of the bookstore's window.  
The store was quite empty, which led Lexa to believe that most people had given up on reading altogether. She sighed sadly, and began to navigate the high shelves. She first thought about buying a science-fiction book, but realized that most of them where about a government in one way or another, and it was the opposite of what she needed. She glanced longly at the fantasy novels, but none seemed to interest her. She didn't even spare a glance at the mystery and crime novels. She really wanted something light, to take her mind off her work. Finally, she stopped in front of the romance novels, and chuckled inwardly. How ridiculous. The Commander, a fan of romance novels. In all honesty, she had never read a lot of them because she found them silly, but it was perhaps what she needed right now.  
She looked at a few titles, and the sun came piercing through the clouds and peeked lightly through the window, drawing her attention. She saw Clarke on the bench, looking around her. Reese must have been lying at her feet, as she didn't see him jumping around excitedly. Her usual blond hair had turned to gold under the rays of the sun. Lexa stared longly, until Clarke turned around, and her blue eyes found Lexa's green through the shop's window. The blond smiled brightly and waved at her, which Lexa reciprocated quickly before her gaze fell back on the books neatly stacked on the shelves. She grabbed the one that seemed the more interesting, and quickly read its summary, before putting it back. The problem with being such a bookworm was that she could almost predict the end of the story by just reading the book's summary. She walked around the rest of the shop, went back to the fantasy section, then the romance, then the fiction, and back to the fantasy again, where she took the one that seemed the most interesting. A princess escaping her tower after fighting her dragon guardian on her own, and meeting with a group of elven warriors, led by a strong woman. It was probably worth a shot.  
She paid the book at the counter, and the old man working there seemed happy to have made a sale today. She took the paper bag he handed her, and she exited after wishing the man a good day. Clarke was still on the bench outside, Reese lying at her feet, his tongue lolling out of his mouth happily.  
"Sorry for the wait."  
Clarke stood up and smiled.  
"It's okay."  
Reese, however, made no effort to move. Lexa smirked and crossed her arms.  
"Well would you look at that, he finally tired out."  
"Yeah. I would almost be tempted to bring him back home before I showed you the gallery. But then he would probably trash the place like he did last time. Mister gets grumpy when he is left alone."  
"Oh, it's okay, you don't have to show me the gallery."  
"You asked for it, and I'm your guide. I don't want to disappoint."  
Clarke knelled down and picked the puppy easily.  
"Alright, come on. It's basically on the other side of town."  
"Where the buildings are?"  
"Yep."  
Lexa smiled happily as they turned around. The buildings were once again in her sight.  
"I've always wanted to see those buildings from up close."  
"You've never... Please tell me you do leave the castle from time to time!"  
"I do. Usually, we take the helicopter though. Don't know why they're so afraid of the car. And before you ask, yes, I've actually visited a few of those towers, but only the top of it. I really wish I could see the bottom now."  
Clarke didn't make any more comment. She found it a bit sad that Lexa had never had the chance to walk around the city.

* * *

  
  
Soon enough they reached the large square where they had met, only an hour ago.  
"I remember the inauguration to this place." Lexa declared. "It was made to be a perfectly symmetrical, I just don't remember why. That's why there's a fountain on each side."  
"I don't know. When I first arrivedtooit was already here."  
"You're not from here?" Lexa suddenly questioned.  
It hadn't come to her mind that Clarke hadn't lived her entire life in Polis, simply because she knew her way around the streets better than, well, the Commander of Polis, actually.  
"I'm from Arkadia. It's like, an hour from here? I had to come here for college. It would have been stupid to go back after."  
"Why?"  
"Well, for once, we don't have an art gallery in Arkadia. We have a lot of fields, that's for sure, but not a single art gallery."  
"You could have opened your own."  
Clarke shrugged. Reese began to fidget in her arms, and she let him go. He ran to the fountain and began to drink avidly.  
"I don't know. Maybe one day? Depends on what happens here."  
While Reese lapped the water out of the fountain, Lexa looked around. A few clouds passing through the sky once again hid half of the sun, right above the square. Half of the fountains were in the sun, their water illuminated brightly, while the other half was dark, and looked cold. As the clouds slowly moved away, the darkness disappeared, as if someone had turned on spotlights over the square. The trees planted at the edge of the square were already changing color, from a dark green to a rusty orange. Only a few leaves had already fallen, however.  
Once Reese was done drinking, he shook off the water stuck to his fur. He then trotted back to his master.  
"It looks like mister Reese is ready to walk again."  
"You know, if you keep calling him mister, his ego will never deflate. That's why he's the master of your relationship."  
Clarke looked outraged, while Lexa chuckled.  
"How can you judge our relationship? We've known each other for like, an hour!"  
"Because I have a keen eye for that kind of things. That way I know when I'm meeting a technocrat who's cheating on his wife with his assistant, and when I'm not."  
"That's... a talent."  
Both girls began to walk again, and as they passed through the row of trees Lexa truly felt like fall had arrived.

* * *

  
  
The other side of the square was like a different world altogether. The small streets and old buildings were gone. Instead, there were large streets, with equally large sidewalks. The skyscrapers here were a mismatch of color and material. Some, older, were shorter and made out of apparent bricks. Those were mostly apartments, living quarters of sorts for the people working in the taller buildings, the one made of steel and glass, black or white and very rarely tainted with any color. Gone were the pedestrians-only streets. Now there was a never-ending flow of cars and buses making their way around the square and the old part of the city. Lexa found it different. It wasn't worst or better than the old town, it was just different.  
They crossed the street and Clarke led them around a few buildings until they reached a large mall. Right across from it, Lexa noticed the art gallery, where a few paintings had been exposed in the window.  
"Is one of yours in the window?"  
Clarke smiled.  
"As a matter of fact, yes."  
They crossed the street once again and stopped in front of the shop's window. Lexa looked longly at the three paintings there. One was a mayhem of color, a large square which seemed to have been attacked by a twisted rainbow. The second was an almost photo-realistic reproduction of a picture taken during the early 20th. The only reason Lexa knew it wasn't a real picture was because the brush strokes were very visible, probably on purpose. The last one was a mix of newspapers and paint. The paper had been cut and placed to look like a person, while the decor had been painted behind. It only took a few seconds for Lexa to know which one was Clarkes.  
"It's this one, isn't it?" she said as she pointed to the newspaper one.  
"How did you know?"  
Clarke was truly surprised that Lexa had found so easily which one was hers.  
"You looked at the signature, didn't you?"  
"Actually no. All of those articles are about the time I met with the leader of the ice nation, and how I avoided war. Not much to avoid, really. We would have crushed them."  
"Yeah, well, it was the only thing the newspapers were talking about when I decided to make this one. So it's more of a coincidence than anything."  
"It's really nice. Where did you get the idea?"  
Clarke flushed.  
"It's going to sound very stupid, okay? But it was you, again."  
Lexa, instead of feeling a bit unsettled, like she knew she should, felt kind of proud.  
"I now realized I had a greater impact on your life then I should have. So is this paper cut me?"  
"Not really! I was just thinking, the news always paints you a certain way, you know? Now I realize that most are usually true, but at the time I thought, 'well, we only see her through the news, so to a lot of us that's only how she exists.' So here we are. Existing through newspapers."  
"Wow. It's a really great idea, actually. I don't know anything about art, which is a shame, but you seem like a very good artist."  
Clarke blushed at the compliment.  
"Thanks."  
She cleared her throat and asked:  
"Would you, hum, like to come in? I have a few more inside."  
Lexa nodded and pushed the door to the gallery. She held it for Clarke to walk in. The place was rather large and bright, almost like a museum. Only a handful of paintings were hanged on the walls, with a large distance of white walls between each. A small plaque had been placed beside each one, with the name of the painting, the artist, and its price.  
"Have you sold some paintings yet?"  
"Fortunately yes. Just a few, but it's enough to pay the rent for the month. In the meantime, I do illustrations for children's book, from time to time."  
"Really? That sound nice."  
Before they stepped further into the shop Clarke handed the end of Reese's leash to Lexa.  
"Can you keep him for a second? I'll warn the owner that we're here."  
"Sure."  
Once Lexa had the puppy well in hand, Clarke walked quickly to the back shop. As soon as she had passed through a heavy white curtain which failed to imitate the walls, Lexa looked quickly at the first few paintings. She only stopped in front of one when she saw that it had Clarke's name on it. She then learned that the woman's last name was Griffin. She wondered if it was a pseudonym. This painting was also a blend of paper and painting, although this one was made from pamphlet for Polis University. The papers represented the main grand building, where the rest had been painted to represent a large garden with trees. While this one had nothing particularly grand about it, Lexa could still feel the sentimental value it had to Clarke.  
"Alright, I'm back."  
Clarke smiled and hesitated to take Reese's leash back, as it would mean to make skin contact with Lexa.  
"This one is really nice."  
"Yeah. After I was done with the newspaper one I made a few more. This one was from all the leftover pamphlets I had. I made a few others but they're mostly gone. One was a set with the actors cut in cinema tickets."  
"So those two are the only one left?"  
"From that collection, yeah. I have one that I kept at home, and I made one for a friend with Ikea instructions manuals. You should have seen her face when she opened it."  
Lexa chuckled at the thought.  
"Is Griffin your real last name?"  
"Oh. Yeah. My dad used to say it was because we came from nobility, but I'm not sure."  
Lexa nodded and decided to ask if she could check if that was true or not. Who knows, maybe she could make the blond a knight the next time they came across each other. Lexa truly hoped there would be a next time.

* * *

  
  
They spent a good half an hour in the gallery, Lexa mostly gazing longly at Clarke's painting. At one point she had handed Reese's leash back to Clarke, and the blond had been hesitant to make skin contact with the brunette. As she had expected, her skin was hot, and it seemed to burn her hand for the rest of the time they spent in the gallery. Before they left, Lexa actually tried to buy the painting in the window, the one of her in the news, and Clarke had to forcefully push her away from the counter and insisted that if she wanted one she would make her one for free. Finally, Lexa let herself be pushed out of the gallery with a smile. Once the door as closed behind them she asked:  
"Do you have the time? I don't want to turn my phone on, it would give my position away."  
"It's almost four thirty."  
Lexa sighed.  
"I should go back. Indra has probably turned the castle upside down by now."  
"Oh, are you going to get grounded?" Clarke joked.  
Lexa shrugged and took a few step toward the way they had come from, before she turned around and held out a hand to Clarke.  
"Aren't you going to guide me home?"  
Clarke felt her face grow hot, but she took Lexa's hand anyway. They silently made their way back to the square. Lexa could feel Clarke's brain thinking beside her, as if the cogs controlling her train of thoughts were working twice as hard as they should. She very much enjoyed the effect she had on the blond and   really hoped she would have a chance to enjoy it more often after this afternoon. She wondered if looking at tax information to find where Clarke lived, and invite her to the castle was a good or a bad idea.  
As they crossed the street to get to the square, still hand in hand, Lexa felt her heart constrict with sadness. It had been a fantastic afternoon, way better than what she had expected it to be. She had already planned to buy that painting as soon as she got back to the castle, and hang it in her office. Then maybe read her book on her favorite couch, and wait until everyone had calmed down from her two hours disappearance.  
She stopped in the middle of the plaza one last time and looked around. The sun was slowly dropping, casting long shadows on the fountains.  
"I would almost be tempted to just sit there and wait to be caught."  
Clarke laughed at the idea.  
"Why don't you do it?"  
"Because I find it even funnier to walk right through the gates like nothing happened."  
The rest of their way back through the old streets was just as silent as before. Only Reese was still yapping happily, since he had enjoyed one of the walks in his short life.  
Lexa stopped them two streets away from the Castle's entrance. She faced the blond while never letting go of her hand. Somehow during the walk, their fingers had intertwined and refused to separate.  
"Thank you for taking me through the city. I would probably be lost on the other side of town by now if it weren't for you. So thank you. And for spending the afternoon with me, too."  
"My pleasure. And thank you for catching Reese and taking care of him. Hopefully next time you run away you won't have to save him again."  
Lexa smiled and shrugged.  
"Well, if it leads me back to you, I don't mind."  
Clarke blushed furiously, and she had to gulp down before she could ask:  
"I don't know if it's appropriate or not, but I really wish I could hug you right now."  
Lexa didn't reply, only took Clarke in her arms. Hugs were never her thing, but if it was a way for the blond to show her that she also had a nice afternoon, then she would take it gladly. Clarke only stood stunned for a few seconds before she reciprocated the hug. She let go when she felt Reese trying to run around them and tangling his leash around them.  
"I think Reese doesn't want you to go." Clarke declared.  
"Reese doesn't want me to go, or you don't want me to go?"  
The blond did not reply. Instead, Lexa smirked and kneeled in front of the puppy, who happily let her pet him.  
"And you, don't bother your master too much. Got it? No more running away."  
She continued to pet him even if he didn't seem to understand her order. She finally stood up, her gaze falling on Clarke's.  
"If I don't die in a stressed induced coma in the following month, I'll probably find a way to free an afternoon, to, you know, get a slice of pie, buy another book."  
"It's a good thing I'm not leaving the city for another ten years or something."  
"Thank you again. Goodbye."  
Lexa pressed a kiss on Clarke's cheek, rendering the blond speechless. She smiled and turned around, only to hear the blond from behind her:  
"See you in a month!"  
This made Lexa smile even more brightly.

* * *

  
  
As she approached the metal gate of the castle, hands in her pocket, Lexa let out a sigh. She should have kissed her on the lips, why did she chicken out at the last second?! She stopped and frowned. She felt a piece of paper in her pocket, she knew for a fact wasn't there a few minutes ago. She took it out and unfolded it. It was a phone number and a message from Clarke. 'Call me whenever.' She smiled wholeheartedly.  Truly, this blond was something else.  
She hid the paper back in her pocket, took off her fake glasses and walked down the street, until she was standing in front of the ornamented gates of the castle, the two guards on either side looking at her with a strange and confused look. She felt like a teenager coming home way past her curfew. It was awesome.  
"Hum... excuse me."  
She looked over to the guard who had dared to approach her.  
"Commander?"  
"Open the gates please."  
Instantly the guard obeyed, and the gates opened only to let her pass, and instantly closed behind her. She took in a deep breath, and her cold mask was back on. As she looked at the giant stone castle in front of her, she decided next month would be too long to wait. So what if she had things to do? She had someone to see as well, and it wouldn't wait that long. Next week would have to do.


End file.
